Refrigerator



A.D.PUFFER.

y TOR. No. 255.455. Patented Mar. 28,1882;

* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

ALVIN D. PUFFER OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

REFRIGERATO R.

, SPECIFICATION formng part of LettersPatent No. 255,455, dated March 2?, 1882.

Application filcd February 26, '1880. Rcnewed February 9,1882. (Model) To all 'whom t't may concern: f

Be it known. that I, ALVIN D. PUFFER, of Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, havejnvented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerators or Structnres, ofwhich the following is a specificatiou.

This invention relatos to means for the more efi'ectually preventing waste of ice in refrigerating apparatus or Structures, for enabling the refrigerating-vessels to be readily removed, replaced, cleancd, or inspected, or to stand in or out of the ice-water in the tank of the refrigerator, and in means for permitting of escape of waste water rapidly.

'Ihe drawings acco'uipanying this specification represent, in Figure 1, a perspective view of structure; Fig. 2, across-section of same; Fig. 3, a perspective view of main door holdin'g sirup-cups; Fig. 4, a section of elevatingcup, and Fig. 5 a cross-section of outlet.

A in the above drawings represents the case or boX of the structure,being in general terms an .upright, oblong, rectangular box with a large Opening, B, at top to allow, under some circumstances, ofintroduction of ice to its icechamber, which opening is to be closed by one or 'more suitable covers, or by the counter of the establishment, the interior A' of the box being for the greater part devoted to the purpose of au icereceptacle and refrigeratingchamber, a portion of the upper front part of such box being occupied for other purposes, as hereinafter explained.

At a suitable point in the bottom or' floor O of the chamberA (in the present instance one front corner) I place the Waste water outlet, which is thus constructed: A tube, a, having at top au annularoutstandiuglip or flange, L', is inserted through au Opening in the bottom of the tank, the flange b' of the tube bringing up against the said bottom, and being soldered thereto with a tight joint, the upper interior' part of the tube being screw threaded, as shown at d, to receive an exteriorly screwthrcaded tubular plug, which is shown at e' as screwed into it, said plug having 'an outstanding collar, f', to correspond with the fiange of the tube, and a washer, c', of suitable material, being inserted between them to prevent escapa ot' Water from the tank. The plug e' is pierced immediately belowfits collarf' with several small holes, g" y', 85o., and when it is raised by rotatiugit the holes g' are partially or wholly exposed above the washer a on the top of the tube a, as the case may be. Water is permitted to flow from the tank A' through such holes and go to waste from the outlet of said tube. When the collar f' of the plug c' is screwed down upon the washer a' escape of water from thetank is cut off; or the plug may be raised sufficiently to expose a sinall portiou of the holes g', and allowed to remain permauently in this position to permit the waste water to esc-ape slowly from the tank,in which casetheamountof externa! air passiug through the holes would be infinitesimal. a

In general I prefer that the top of the plug e' should be closed and the holes g' alone used to discharge the waste water; but the upper end of the plug may be open tocoustitutean overflow-pipe, should it be desirable to retain a considerable quantity ot' water iu the bottom of the tank.

By means of the plug e' the hcight and quantity of water resultiug from the melting of the ice iu the bottombf the tank is regula-ted; but its main purpose is to dra-W off this water When its temperature becomes too high and allow it to be replaced by water of a lower temperature. The plug permits the waste water to be drawn ot't' rapidly and easily, and allows this waste to be replaced by cold water much more effectually than could be done by simply employing th'e overflow.

The upper frout part of the case A is cou- Verted into abay, D, by means ofa Vertical wall or partition, E, extendin g the entire length of the chamber A', the bottom F of the bay being open, as shown, to permit of the 'sirup-bottles or other refrigeratingvessels being immersed in the ice-water in the lower part of the chamber, When desired. The bayD is open atfront, as shown at Gr, exrept as provided at each end with doors H I, which are arranged to swing outward,.and each of these doors is formed ot' an open rectangular frame,'h, w'ho'se ends 'ii fill the space between the front and rear of the bay and complete the ends of the box A, the 'ront Opening, j, of each frame-door H I being closed by an auxiliary or smaller door, J or K hinged at bottom'to the lower bar, k, of the IOO main door -in such manuer as to be lowered and expose such openin g j and the refri geratin g bot tles or vessels behind it.

* either ofthe doors H or I.

To thc lower part ofone maindoor-viz., H-' I apply a rack or support for the bottles or vessels to conta-in sirnp or other materials to be cooled, such rack in the present instanee being composed of a. series of shbrt vertical tubes, l l, &c.,arranged in a horizontal plane upon the inside of the bar 7.', cach tube being of a size to readily receive and sustain a bottle in au upright position, and permit it to be ilnmersed in the ice water in lhe lower part ofthe refrigeratingchamber.

As it inay be desirable at times to raise the cooling vessels or bottles above or from out of the ice-water, and yet take advantage of the low tempcrature of the ice-chamber, I employ with one or each of the guidetubes l a cylindrieal cup, m, adapted to closely fill the interior of the tube and rest upon a suitable stop within the latter, the bottom n ofthe cup serving to support the bottle or vessel. I prefer that these guides should be of metal or some good conductor of heat, in order the more rapilly to reduce the temperature of the contents of the bottles. In order that the extent to which the bottle is raised above the water may be varied, should occasion require, I place the bottoni n of the cup much nearer one end than the other, and by reversing the cup end for end the botlle is raiscd or lowered with respect to the ice-chambcr and above theicewater. By removing the cup altogether the bottle is immersed in the ice-water through the open bottorn of the bay, and it is through this Opening that iee is generally introduced to theice-chamber, though it may be admitted through the top of the Chamber, or, if desirable, through If through the door H, the rear wall, E, of the bay D is pierced by an Opening, L, for passage ofthe ice, such opening being provided with adrop-door,N. When the bottles are im mersed in theice-water, as expfained, they partially descend below the bottom oi the main door, and hence the latter caunot be swung upon its hinges and opened, but access must be hald to the bottles by means of the auxiliary doorwuys; and to enable the bottles to be rcadily lifted ont of their receptacles while the main door is closed I slope the top of,

the bay rearward, as shown ato, and conform the top of the doors to this slope, as shown at 1). \Vhen all the bottles are raised above the ce-water and rest upon the cups m he main door may be swnng open and access had directly to such bottles, whether to ascertain if they need replenishing or to clean them or the parts immediately about them. To merely in spect the bottles the auxiliary (loor only need be used.

To economize the waste of ice by excluding external air as much as possible, or by protecting such ice from direct contact with the air, I form in the wall E, or in the door N, as the case may be, a series of horizontal slots or apertures, q q, 85o., and in rea r of such apertures, and sliding in vertical guides r 7, I place a register-gente, s, such gate Operating to open or close the slots, after the manner ot' registergates in general. The openings q permit of cold air from the ice-chamber getting access to the bottles, and to exclude external air from direct entrance to the ice-chamber A' through these openings at such time as the door H or J may be open, I provide means of automatb cally closing the register-gato When either of the said doors are opened, such means, in the present inslance, consisting of a curved tilting rm or lever, t, pivoted at its lower inner end to the front of the wall E, and in front of the openings q q, a horn, a', extends from the end of the lever rearward through the gate s, in order to raise and lower thelatter. The gate s drops by its own gravity to close the apertures q q and exclude passage of warm air to the ice, and the desce'nt of the valve raises the outer or free end of the lever t. The lever is so disposed with respect to the door J that as the latter is opened, either alone or by and with the door H, the lever is released and the ga te drops and cuts off entrance of air to the icechamber so long as the door remains open. When the door is closed it wipes against and lowers the free end of the lever and raises the gato, and thereby opens the apertures q q.

It will be seen that by closing the apertures q q When the door is open the \vaste of ice is economizcd; and itwill be seen thatthe opening and closing of the apertures is etfeeted au tomatically by the movements of the door, and not left to the direction of the attendant.

To lessen friction between the lever t and the door J, an anti-friction roller may be pivoted to the free end of the said lever.

I may use one door to open communication with the ice-chamber and support bottles, or two or more doors With one or more bottle-supportseach may be employed. I do not restrict myselt' in this respect.

To enable the door H to be firmly applied to the case by providing amplo room for its hinges I extend beloW the door a wing, D which overlaps the adjacent part of the front ot' the case.

l claim 1. The rcfrigerator-case formed with a bay, as described, in combination With the main door or doors clo'sing the bottom ofthe bay and the adj oinin g face of the refrigerator-case, and the vessel or bottle guides or supports attached to and carried by said door or doors, substantally as hereinbefore set forth.

2. The refrigerator-case formed with a bay, as described, in combination With one or more main doors closing the bottom of the bay and the adjoining face of the case, vessel or bottle supports or guides carried by said doors,-and auxiliary doors, one in each main door, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

3. In combination with the bayed refrigerator-case, and the door or doors closin g the bay and adjoining face of the same, the bottle or vessel guide-tubes or supports carried by the doors and provided with removable bottoms, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

IOO

IIO

IIS

4. In combination Withthe gnides l, the removable cups 'or snpports adapted to bere- Versed in position, and in so doing vary the height of their bottom With respecta to the ice Chamber 01 tank below, substantially as de scribed. i

5. Thedoubie d00rHJ,in combination with I the case A and its bay D, partition F, and

apertures q q, substantially as and for purposes set fortb.

6. The combinatien, with the double door and the bayed 1'efrigerat0rcase having commnnicatingopeningsin the wall orpartition between its iee-chamber' and the space inciosed by the double (loor, of means, substantiallyas described, adapted to be controiied by the aux- 

